championship club draw

Flourman summed it up fairly accurately. Athy didnt know how to use the extra man and also didnt seem prepared for Smiths introduction. Sarsfields had two ex intercounty managers on the line which probably was the difference.

umpireonditch wrote:

Hugh Mahon was like Conor McGregor in their too.

No surprise there!

Only player i saw to thow a punch was Gary White. Wrong man was sent off. One small melee in a very clean game.

lilysavage wrote:

Only player i saw to thow a punch was Gary White. Wrong man was sent off. One small melee in a very clean game.

Agree with it being a clean game with just one flare up. Chalky gets away with far to much at club level. Watching him yesterday its easy to see why he never developed into the great player he could have been.
Definitely should get Cahill and Byrne involved in the county team next year. Lots of good players on view and some great scores.
Best of luck to Sarsfields in Leinster, maybe things might go their way with Portlaoises games building up in front of them.

Apparently the sending off was for "an aggressive push" on an Athy Maor Uisce who had gotten involved with the original melee.

Something needs to be done about the sideline/dugout arrangements for these club fixtures. I remember the same discussion after there was a small incident involving a Sarsfields sub during their quarter final against Moorefield. The barracks sideline in particular is littered with subs, officials and various hangers on at most club games I attend. There is no bar in front of the dugout like there is on the stand side. The linesman seems to have to spend half his time telling lads to move back from the pitch when he has enough else to be worried about.

kickingking wrote:

Something needs to be done about the sideline/dugout arrangements for these club fixtures. I remember the same discussion after there was a small incident involving a Sarsfields sub during their quarter final against Moorefield. The barracks sideline in particular is littered with subs, officials and various hangers on at most club games I attend. There is no bar in front of the dugout like there is on the stand side. The linesman seems to have to spend half his time telling lads to move back from the pitch when he has enough else to be worried about.

I have to agree with that however some teams totally ignore the amount of players on the panel, both teams appeared to have 20 odd subs and again there were numberous children and adults ( not players or officials ) inside the wall around the pitch.     Some day a non player/team official is going to get hurt.

Also the number of non-playing persons on the pitch at times was crazy, at one stage I counted at least 6 people on the pitch and that was not during the bit of a row in the second half.

On a slightly different note, I was listening to the match on KFM and the sideline reporter should be told not to try and interview members of the management teams when they are leaving the pitch at half time, they have enough on theirs minds without that going on.

Gaa1928 wrote:

kickingking wrote:

Something needs to be done about the sideline/dugout arrangements for these club fixtures. I remember the same discussion after there was a small incident involving a Sarsfields sub during their quarter final against Moorefield. The barracks sideline in particular is littered with subs, officials and various hangers on at most club games I attend. There is no bar in front of the dugout like there is on the stand side. The linesman seems to have to spend half his time telling lads to move back from the pitch when he has enough else to be worried about.

I have to agree with that however some teams totally ignore the amount of players on the panel, both teams appeared to have 20 odd subs and again there were numberous children and adults ( not players or officials ) inside the wall around the pitch.     Some day a non player/team official is going to get hurt.

Also the number of non-playing persons on the pitch at times was crazy, at one stage I counted at least 6 people on the pitch and that was not during the bit of a row in the second half.

On a slightly different note, I was listening to the match on KFM and the sideline reporter should be told not to try and interview members of the management teams when they are leaving the pitch at half time, they have enough on theirs minds without that going on.

Well you better tell every other radio station including the national broadcaster as they all try get the teams view at half time.

As for the subs, yes it should be kept to six mentors and 9-10 subs. What baffles me is you see lads wearing No. 32 or 33 on their back and not alone is there one lot of 15 ahead of them there's even a second lot ahead. To be honest you you look at the program and Sarsfields have 37 yes 37 listed and Athy have 34. So there was 41 players without mentors on the sidelines yesterday. Really needs to be looked at.

For championship games at the likes of St. Conleth's, Hawkfield and Athy every team should be made list a match day squad of 24 players, 1 manager, 3 selectors, 1 physio and 1 maor usice. Everyone else, in the stand. Only 6 subs are allowed, it's ridiculous having any more that 10 on the sideline. Most of the subs for big town teams are only in it for a medal when in reality they've contributed SFA to actually winning it.

Its very bad the set-up on the line especially the other day the Athy line didn't cover themselves in glory, wouldn't be on for limiting clubs match day squads its hard enough to get a full panel of players without telling some of them not to bother togging out for the big games, would be a massive loss of interest but some kind of scenario where the subs sit in the stands might be the way forward, if a redevelopment happens im sure this kind of stuff will be incorporated!!!
On the game well done to Sarsfields for keeping going would question the ref big time but think Athy got what they deserved from it - they must have felt as bad on Sunday night as their former manager felt when they shafted him.

It still baffles me how badly they miss managed the end of the game.
Why not use the extra man for short kickouts??
If you are going to persist with the long kickout then don't take off one of your best ball winners and tallest players (Dunne).
Too many subs made too.
I don't know when the players got rid of Kelleghan did they envisage some other experienced figure coming in? Feel sorry for Cardiff as he stepping into a difficult situation there and perhaps his inexperience cost them!

Very enjoyable game. I can't believe the referee didn't blow for full time when ray equalised.. how many minutes over did he play ?.. I'd say the CB hierarchic weren't to impressed with him and the serious loss of revenue a replay would have provided. And for me would have been a fair result.

Wouldnt feel too sorry for anyone who was supposedly shafted. He was approached by highly respected figure in Kildare gaa to reconsider his tactics which players didnt suit. He reacted like a child . Dont feel too sorry for him. Agreed that Athy could have done with a bit more experience on the line . Not sure whether Brophy could have been available for rest of championship.
Good final . Hopefully Sarsfields can do a job on Portlaoise and go far in Leinster.

What highly respected figure in Kildare has the right to approach a club manager??
An Athy official maybe can but it would be to change the terms of their engagement in regard to the managers job spec. When they appointed Kelleghan what did they expect? His previous success and history was with this system, they had no problem with him using it last year. He wouldnt have lost to Larries had some of his key players hadn't of went off to the States.
I would feel sorry for him in so far as he was working to what he agreed when appointed and suddenly Athy decide they want to play more open football mid season. - Its a bit like Big Sam being Barca deciding Big Sams methods will work for them and they go and hire him only to change there mind mid season!
Or at least thats what it seems from the outside. Maybe there is a whole other story or side to the story.

That's fine if his methods work but they clearly weren't working, the players' didn't buy into it and it was a failure. Would Athy have been seconds from being county champions had he remained in charge? No. Therefore even if the very last seconds of their season went wrong it was a call that saw the team do better than they otherwise would have and therefore the right call. Anyway, best of luck to Sarsfields in Leinster from an Athy man, do us proud. And best of luck to Castledermot and Castlemitchell this weekend too, the county is behind all three.

He lost one game with players away from the set up for the previous couple of months living the high life in the States and making a few quid only back a week or two if even at that stage. They already beat the Sash in the championshop at a point in the season where the Sash were unbeaten. Also, there most important player in 2011 returned to the fold soon after.
If they were two points up late on in a county final under Kellaghan would they have lost it?

No doubt in my mind under Keelaghan they would have held the lead but their is also no doubt in my mind that they wouldnt have got into that position under keelaghan. Sarsfields are a completely different animal now to the one they met in May. Even John crofton admitted this last week when admitting playing a sweeper back then was not working. Unlike athys former manager he was man enough to change for the better of the team. Great management if you ask me. Anyhow best of luck to the sash in Leinster

Anyone who saw Athy's games against Larries would realise how awful they had become under Kellaghan. That style of football is dreadful to watch and must be dreadful to play as well. They were right to seek to change it and it nearly worked spectacularly well. If McGovern had found the net as he should it would have been game over. Mahon should also have fisted over and a draw would likely have bee the worst they ended up with.
The early game against Sarsfields was a freak result imo and I thought so at the time as well. They were never that much a better team. Sarsfields showed great hunger to win it, a hunger they didn't show last year in the final when it really mattered.
It was a great game which could have gone either way and a great showcase for the talent that is available to the new manager. No point in looking for negatives in it, we had enough of that with the county team in the last 2 seasons.

I think one of the main differences between the two teams was composure, Sarsfields were able to get the ball to their two best shooters, Cahill and Smithy plenty of times in the last 10-12 minutes whereas Athy struggled to get Kelly or Eaton on the ball. I don't think either of them got a shot off in the closing minutes, credit for that must be given to Lawlor and Donnachadh McDonnell I suppose, further to the composure thing I don't think a Sarsfields forward would have taken on the shot Mahon took on for instance.

Like I said previously. Athy knew what they got with Mr kellaghan.. but in fairness to the players they didn't recruit him. And I am aware that they weren't happy playing that style for a long time.
Didn't sash beat them handy enough in the semi last year? .. when athy had no plan b when falling behind.

Apparently some of The Moores granted The Sash a special reception on sunday night..!

lilysavage wrote:

Apparently some of The Moores granted The Sash a special reception on sunday night..!

?????????????

lilysavage wrote:

Apparently some of The Moores granted The Sash a special reception on sunday night..!

Did the Ratheens Mouth piece finally get what was coming his way....well over due.

Who's this Sarsfields Raheens man that gets such a ripping on here?

Ogie wrote:

Who's this Sarsfields Raheens man that gets such a ripping on here?

It wouldn't be very "PC" to go naming names on here!